Manoj Jarange-Patil’s retreat from Mumbai after weeks of hunger-strike brinkmanship offers a moment for citizens to question the politics of coercion and perpetual agitation. The activist has given the Maharashtra government three months to consider his demands, thus giving the seemingly never-ending Maratha reservation issue an uneasy pause. Mumbai, which had braced for another prolonged confrontation during the Ganesh festivities, can breathe easy for the moment. But the ep

Mumbai: Emboldened by his fiery stance, local coordination committees issued an ultimatum to the administration, declaring a complete Marathwada Bandh for Thursday, with voluntary shut-downs already paralyzing towns across Latur, Nanded, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. While essential services are expected to function, wholesale agricultural markets, commercial centres, government establishments, and educational institutions face forced closures. In dozens of ham-lets across M

Mumbai: Arterial transport corridors ground to a halt, commercial hubs shuttered their doors, and police battalions were deployed across central and western Maharashtra as the Maratha reservation agitation reached a boiling point on Wednesday. Entering the fifth day of his indefinite fast unto death at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, activist Manoj Jarange Patil drastically hardened his stance, spurning all medical interventions, maintaining silence on a 15-point